Albyn; or, Scotland and the future

by Hugh MacDiarmid

VIII

Here the connection between the diverse movements in Scotland I indicated as so superficially incompatible becomes clear. The Credit Reform Movement is essentially one for the removal of all the false restraints under which humanity is labouring. It is not without significance that its leader, Major Douglas, should belong to the race which has suffered most abominably from the forms under which it has been subjected to two of the greatest agencies—the Reformation and the Industrial Revolution—which the impelling force, which has multiplied these restrains until “civilization” is tending to reduce the majority of mankind to the condition of robots, has utilized in securing that stranglehold on life which it is now visibly exercising. Will Scotland yet produce

“Eighth marvel of seven on earth,

A Douglas at peace?”

Do not the intolerable conditions to which it has been reduced, the unparalleled anomalies in its “national” finance, suggest that a flanking movement against the Powers of Finance may be best achieved through it. This is “the place where the spring of action will play”—where alone a counterforce to that which is not only making for centralization in all directions and superannuating such agencies of differentiation as Scots and Gaelic, but would eliminate religion by completely mechanizing the masses of mankind and make Socialism the last and worst stage in capitalism—the Servile State—rather than the first in a new and nobler order, can be generated. Here is the “comprehensive-enough agency”—“the nation-size principle”—the meeting ground of Scottish Nationalists, Catholics and Socialists, those diverse elements upon whose recognition of their interdependence, their need to complement and moderate each other, depends not only the realizable proportion of the ideals of each but a Scottish Renaissance of international consequence. Let us not fight with enemies—England, commercial Calvinism, “Progress,” thought-hating democracy—which are merely the agents of the foe that is really worthy of our steel, the cause that lies behind them all; but, in concentrating on the latter, remember that every other nation has suffered in like fashion to some degree from its operations, and make common cause with the elements in all these other countries which are seeking to overcome it.

It is noteworthy that banking and national interests in Scotland are far more conspicuously divorced from each other than in most countries. There is less “cover” here than at the centre. Leading Scottish bankers do not discourse, like their English brethren, on current topics; they confine themselves to the business in hand. Mr McKenna and the like may create a diversion by pretending to let, not the cat, but one or two of its meows out of the bag occasionally, but in Scotland the public is too docile even to need “circuses.”

The amalgamation of the Scottish banks with the English, along with such subsidiary developments or sequelæ of the same policy, as the amalgamation of the railways, and the English control of Scottish newspapers, represents one side of that picture of which the inevitable obverse is the fact that the collective area of deer forests (1,709,892 acres in 1883) is now 3,599,744 acres; seventeen Scottish counties to-day have a population less than it was fifty years ago, eleven have less than in 1821, and five less than in 1801; and of the remaining population of the country more than 45 per cent. (over two million people) live more than two in a room!

These tendencies are continuing at an accelerating rate. This is the price Scotland is paying for its “sense of participation in a larger nationality”—a sense that even then must be qualified by recognition of the fact that the “larger nationality” will in turn be subjected to the same “policy” as the “smaller” (although both, no doubt, may continue a while longer to have a sense of “Empire”)—unless Scotland comes to the rescue of England in the manner suggested.

The Scottish Convention of Burghs (of which I have been a member) is the oldest municipal institution in Europe—it is also the most effete and powerless. Otherwise its continued existence would not be tolerated for a moment. Let it discuss with any “real determination” the effect of the amalgamation of the Scottish banks, railways, etc., with the English—or the relation of the banking system to the policy of neglect and deliberate “misunderstanding” which is eviscerating Scotland—and it will speedily see the end of its long history.

Scotland’s, and more than Scotland’s, only hope—albeit yet a slender one—is through the Scottish Socialist movement, and, it may be, one of its Irish Catholic leaders. The closer inter-relationship of the Scottish Socialist and Nationalist Movements, their increasing identity of personnel, and happily, their tardy concentration on the financial aspect, is the one promising feature in the situation, unparalleled in history, in which a whole nation, reputedly hard-headed and patriotic, have been almost ineradicably persuaded by (mainly alien—or alienated) financial interests that black is white and white black until they wax only the more perfervid in their patriotic protestations, and the more diligent in their Sisyphus task of futile “thrift,” the more their country is denuded of population, status, and prosperity, and themselves of all that makes life worth living. It is significant that The Scotsman and other Anglo-Scottish papers dealing with the new Draft Bill, are increasingly conceding the “advantages” of sentimental nationalism, but simultaneously warning their readers that “realistic nationalism” will be reactionary and profitless—“what Scotland wants is not a Parliament of its own, but more employment, new industries,” etc., as if the present system were supplying these, and nationalism threatened the supply. Happily, as I have said, the Scottish Home Rule Movement is rapidly re-orienting itself along realist lines, but the degree of realism achieved has not yet reached through to the financial backwork of our affairs, the real manipulation area, without control of which “self-determination” is only a delusion and a snare. This is not surprising—when that stage has not even been reached in the Irish Free State despite the long history of intense nationalistic activity there and the relatively great measure of “political success” achieved. But the Scottish psychology differs from the Irish, and, nationalistically laggard as Scotland has been in comparison with other countries, there are grounds for anticipating that, once it does waken up, it will redeem the leeway at a single stride and be the first to penetrate into that arcanum which still foils even Mr de Valera with its intangible and ubiquitous barriers.

Whether “dreamers of dreams” can still prove themselves “movers and shakers of the world” or not, the protagonists of a Scottish Renaissance are dreaming the dream outlined in these pages, and have already earned at least the right to say to their countrymen in the words of Jaurès: “It is we who are the true heirs of the ancestral hearth: we have taken its flame while you have kept but the cinders.”

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SIXTY VOLUMES ARE NOW PUBLISHED

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This series of books, by some of the most distinguished English thinkers, scientists, philosophers, doctors, critics, and artists, was at once recognized as a noteworthy event. Written from various points of view, one book frequently opposing the argument of another, they provide the reader with a stimulating survey of the most modern thought in many departments of life. Several volumes are devoted to the future trend of Civilization, conceived as a whole; while others deal with particular provinces. It is interesting to see in these neat little volumes, issued at a low price, the revival of a form of literature, the Pamphlet, which has been in disuse for many years.

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FROM THE REVIEWS

Times Literary Supplement: “An entertaining series of vivacious and stimulating studies of modern tendencies.”

Spectator: “Scintillating monographs ... that very lively and courageous series.”

Observer: “There seems no reason why the brilliant To-day and To-morrow Series should come to an end for a century of to-morrows. At first it seemed impossible for the publishers to keep up the sport through a dozen volumes, but the series already runs to more than two score. A remarkable series....”

Daily Telegraph: “This admirable series of essays, provocative and brilliant.”

Nation: “We are able to peer into the future by means of that brilliant series [which] will constitute a precious document upon the present time.”—T. S. Eliot.

Manchester Dispatch: “The more one reads of these pamphlets, the more avid becomes the appetite. We hope the list is endless.”

Irish Statesman: “Full of lively controversy.”

Daily Herald: “This series has given us many monographs of brilliance and discernment.... The stylistic excellencies of this provocative series.”

Field: “We have long desired to express the deep admiration felt by every thinking scholar and worker at the present day for this series. We must pay tribute to the high standard of thought and expression they maintain. As small gift-books, austerely yet prettily produced, they remain unequalled of their kind. We can give but the briefest suggestions of their value to the student, the politician, and the voter....”

New York World: “Holds the palm in the speculative and interpretative thought of the age.”

VOLUMES READY

Daedalus, or Science and the Future. By J. B. S. Haldane, Reader in Biochemistry, University of Cambridge. Seventh impression.

“A fascinating and daring little book.”—Westminster Gazette. “The essay is brilliant, sparkling with wit and bristling with challenges.”—British Medical Journal.

“Predicts the most startling changes.”—Morning Post.

Callinicus, a Defence of Chemical Warfare. By J. B. S. Haldane. Second impression.

“Mr Haldane’s brilliant study.”—Times Leading Article. “A book to be read by every intelligent adult.”—Spectator. “This brilliant little monograph.”—Daily News.

Icarus, or the Future of Science. By Bertrand Russell, F.R.S. Fourth impression.

“Utter pessimism.”—Observer. “Mr Russell refuses to believe that the progress of Science must be a boon to mankind.”—Morning Post. “A stimulating book, that leaves one not at all discouraged.”—Daily Herald.

What I Believe. By Bertrand Russell, F.R.S. Third impression.

“One of the most brilliant and thought-stimulating little books I have read—a better book even than Icarus.”—Nation. “Simply and brilliantly written.”—Nature. “In stabbing sentences he punctures the bubble of cruelty, envy, narrowness, and ill-will which those in authority call their morals.”—New Leader.

Tantalus, or the Future of Man. By F. C. S. Schiller, D.Sc., Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Second impression.

“They are all (Daedalus, Icarus, and Tantalus) brilliantly clever, and they supplement or correct one another.”—Dean Inge, in Morning Post. “Immensely valuable and infinitely readable.”—Daily News. “The book of the week.”—Spectator.

Cassandra, or the Future of the British Empire. By F. C. S. Schiller, D.Sc.

“We commend it to the complacent of all parties.”—Saturday Review. “The book is small, but very, very weighty; brilliantly written, it ought to be read by all shades of politicians and students of politics.”—Yorkshire Post. “Yet another addition to that bright constellation of pamphlets.”—Spectator.

Quo Vadimus? Glimpses of the Future. By E. E. Fournier d’Albe, D.Sc., Second Impression.

“A wonderful vision of the future. A book that will be talked about.”—Daily Graphic. “A remarkable contribution to a remarkable series.”—Manchester Dispatch. “Interesting and singularly plausible.”—Daily Telegraph.

Thrasymachus, the Future of Morals. By C. E. M. Joad, author of “The Babbitt Warren,” etc. Second impression.

“His provocative book.”—Graphic. “Written in a style of deliberate brilliance.”—Times Literary Supplement. “As outspoken and unequivocal a contribution as could well be imagined. Even those readers who dissent will be forced to recognize the admirable clarity with which he states his case. A book that will startle.”—Daily Chronicle.

Lysistrata, or Woman’s Future and Future Woman. By Anthony M. Ludovici, author of “A Defence of Aristocracy,” etc. Second Impression.

“A stimulating book. Volumes would be needed to deal, in the fullness his work provokes, with all the problems raised.”—Sunday Times. “Pro-feminine but anti-feministic.”—Scotsman. “Full of brilliant commonsense.”—Observer.

Hypatia, or Woman and Knowledge. By Mrs Bertrand Russell. With a frontispiece. Third impression.

An answer to Lysistrata. “A passionate vindication of the rights of woman.”—Manchester Guardian. “Says a number of things that sensible women have been wanting publicly said for a long time.”—Daily Herald.

Hephaestus, the Soul of the Machine. By E. E. Fournier d’Albe, D.Sc.

“A worthy contribution to this interesting series. A delightful and thought-provoking essay.”—Birmingham Post. “There is a special pleasure in meeting with a book like Hephaestus. The author has the merit of really understanding what he is talking about.”—Engineering. “An exceedingly clever defence of machinery.”—Architects’ Journal.

The Passing of the Phantoms: a Study of Evolutionary Psychology and Morals. By C. J. Patten, Professor of Anatomy, Sheffield University. With 4 Plates.

“Readers of Daedalus, Icarus and Tantalus, will be grateful for an excellent presentation of yet another point of view.”—Yorkshire Post. “This bright and bracing little book.”—Literary Guide. “Interesting and original.”—Medical Times.

The Mongol in our Midst: a Study of Man and his Three Faces. By F. G. Crookshank, M.D., F.R.C.P. With 28 Plates. Second Edition, revised.

“A brilliant piece of speculative induction.”—Saturday Review. “An extremely interesting and suggestive book, which will reward careful reading.”—Sunday Times. “The pictures carry fearful conviction.”—Daily Herald.

The Conquest of Cancer. By H. W. S. Wright, M.S., F.R.C.S. Introduction by F. G. Crookshank, M.D.

“Eminently suitable for general reading. The problem is fairly and lucidly presented. One merit of Mr Wright’s plan is that he tells people what, in his judgment, they can best do, here and now.”—From the Introduction.

Pygmalion, or the Doctor of the Future. By R. McNair Wilson, M.B.

“Dr Wilson has added a brilliant essay to this series.”—Times Literary Supplement. “This is a very little book, but there is much wisdom in it.”—Evening Standard. “No doctor worth his salt would venture to say that Dr Wilson was wrong.”—Daily Herald.

Prometheus, or Biology and the Advancement of Man. By H. S. Jennings, Professor of Zoology, Johns Hopkins University. Second Impression.

“This volume is one of the most remarkable that has yet appeared in this series. Certainly the information it contains will be new to most educated laymen. It is essentially a discussion of ... heredity and environment, and it clearly establishes the fact that the current use of these terms has no scientific justification.”—Times Literary Supplement. “An exceedingly brilliant book.”—New Leader.

Narcissus: an Anatomy of Clothes. By Gerald Heard. With 19 illustrations.

“A most suggestive book.”—Nation. “Irresistible. Reading it is like a switchback journey. Starting from prehistoric times we rocket down the ages.”—Daily News. “Interesting, provocative, and entertaining.”—Queen.

Thamyris, or Is There a Future for Poetry? By R. C. Trevelyan.

“Learned, sensible, and very well-written.”—Affable Hawk, in New Statesman. “Very suggestive.”—J. C. Squire, in Observer. “A very charming piece of work, I agree with all, or at any rate, almost all its conclusions.”—J. St Loe Strachey, in Spectator.

Proteus, or the Future of Intelligence. By Vernon Lee, author of “Satan the Waster,” etc.

“We should like to follow the author’s suggestions as to the effect of intelligence on the future of Ethics, Aesthetics, and Manners. Her book is profoundly stimulating and should be read by everyone.”—Outlook. “A concise, suggestive piece of work.”—Saturday Review.

Timotheus, the Future of the Theatre. By Bonamy Dobrée, author of “Restoration Drama,” etc.

“A witty, mischievous little book, to be read with delight.”—Times Literary Supplement. “This is a delightfully witty book.”—Scotsman. “In a subtly satirical vein he visualizes various kinds of theatres in 200 years’ time. His gay little book makes delightful reading.”—Nation.

Paris, or the Future of War. By Captain B. H. Liddell Hart.

“A companion volume to Callinicus. A gem of close thinking and deduction.”—Observer. “A noteworthy contribution to a problem of concern to every citizen in this country.”—Daily Chronicle. “There is some lively thinking about the future of war in Paris, just added to this set of live-wire pamphlets on big subjects.”—Manchester Guardian.

Wireless Possibilities. By Professor A. M. Low. With 4 diagrams.

“As might be expected from an inventor who is always so fresh, he has many interesting things to say.”—Evening Standard. “The mantle of Blake has fallen upon the physicists. To them we look for visions, and we find them in this book.”—New Statesman.

Perseus: of Dragons. By H. F. Scott Stokes. With 2 illustrations.

“A diverting little book, chock-full of ideas. Mr Stokes’ dragon-lore is both quaint and various.”—Morning Post. “Very amusingly written, and a mine of curious knowledge for which the discerning reader will find many uses.”—Glasgow Herald.

Lycurgus, or the Future of Law. By E. S. P. Haynes, author of “Concerning Solicitors,” etc.

“An interesting and concisely written book.”—Yorkshire Post. “He roundly declares that English criminal law is a blend of barbaric violence, medieval prejudices and modern fallacies.... A humane and conscientious investigation.”—T.P.’s Weekly. “A thoughtful book—deserves careful reading.”—Law Times.

Euterpe, or the Future of Art. By Lionel R. McColvin, author of “The Theory of Book-Selection.”

“Discusses briefly, but very suggestively, the problem of the future of art in relation to the public.”—Saturday Review. “Another indictment of machinery as a soul-destroyer ... Mr Colvin has the courage to suggest solutions.”—Westminster Gazette. “This is altogether a much-needed book.”—New Leader.

Pegasus, or Problems of Transport. By Colonel J. F. C. Fuller, author of “The Reformation of War,” etc. With 8 Plates.

“The foremost military prophet of the day propounds a solution for industrial and unemployment problems. It is a bold essay ... and calls for the attention of all concerned with imperial problems.”—Daily Telegraph. “Practical, timely, very interesting and very important.”—J. St Loe Strachey, in Spectator.

Atlantis, or America and the Future. By Colonel J. F. C. Fuller.

“Candid and caustic.”—Observer. “Many hard things have been said about America, but few quite so bitter and caustic as these.”—Daily Sketch. “He can conjure up possibilities of a new Atlantis.”—Clarion.

Midas, or the United States and the Future. By C. H. Bretherton, author of “The Real Ireland,” etc.

A companion volume to Atlantis. “Full of astute observations and acute reflections ... this wise and witty pamphlet, a provocation to the thought that is creative.”—Morning Poet. “A punch in every paragraph. One could hardly ask for more ‘meat.’”—Spectator.

Nuntius, or Advertising and its Future. By Gilbert Russell.

“Expresses the philosophy of advertising concisely and well.”—Observer. “It is doubtful if a more straightforward exposition of the part advertising plays in our public and private life has been written.”—Manchester Guardian.

Birth Control and the State: a Plea and a Forecast. By C. P. Blacker, M.C., M.A., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P.

“A very careful summary.”—Times Literary Supplement. “A temperate and scholarly survey of the arguments for and against the encouragement of the practice of birth control.”—Lancet. “He writes lucidly, moderately, and from wide knowledge; his book undoubtedly gives a better understanding of the subject than any other brief account we know. It also suggests a policy.”—Saturday Review.

Ouroboros, or the Mechanical Extension of Mankind. By Garet Garrett.

“This brilliant and provoking little book.”—Observer. “A significant and thoughtful essay, calculated in parts to make our flesh creep.”—Spectator. “A brilliant writer, Mr Garrett is a remarkable man. He explains something of the enormous change the machine has made in life.”—Daily Express.

Artifex, or the Future of Craftsmanship. By John Gloag, author of “Time, Taste, and Furniture.”

“An able and interesting summary of the history of craftsmanship in the past, a direct criticism of the present, and at the end his hopes for the future. Mr Gloag’s real contribution to the future of craftsmanship is his discussion of the uses of machinery.”—Times Literary Supplement.

Plato’s American Republic. By J. Douglas Woodruff. Fourth impression.

“Uses the form of the Socratic dialogue with devastating success. A gently malicious wit sparkles in every page.”—Sunday Times. “Having deliberately set himself an almost impossible task, has succeeded beyond belief.”—Saturday Review. “Quite the liveliest even of this spirited series.”—Observer.

Orpheus, or the Music of the Future. By W. J. Turner, author of “Music and Life.” Second impression.

“A book on music that we can read not merely once, but twice or thrice. Mr Turner has given us some of the finest thinking upon Beethoven that I have ever met with.”—Ernest Newman in Sunday Times. “A brilliant essay in contemporary philosophy.”—Outlook. “The fruit of real knowledge and understanding.”—New Statesman.

Terpander, or Music and the Future. By E. J. Dent, author of “Mozart’s Operas.”

“In Orpheus Mr Turner made a brilliant voyage in search of first principles. Mr Dent’s book is a skilful review of the development of music. It is the most succinct and stimulating essay on music I have found....”—Musical News. “Remarkably able and stimulating.”—Times Literary Supplement. “There is hardly another critic alive who could sum up contemporary tendencies so neatly.”—Spectator.

Sibylla, or the Revival of Prophecy. By C. A. Mace, University of St. Andrew’s.

“An entertaining and instructive pamphlet.”—Morning Post. “Places a nightmare before us very ably and wittily.”—Spectator. “Passages in it are excellent satire, but on the whole Mr Mace’s speculations may be taken as a trustworthy guide ... to modern scientific thought.”—Birmingham Post.

Lucullus, or the Food of the Future. By Olga Hartley and Mrs C. F. Leyel, authors of “The Gentle Art of Cookery.”

“This is a clever and witty little volume in an entertaining series, and it makes enchanting reading.”—Times Literary Supplement. “Opens with a brilliant picture of modern man, living in a vacuum-cleaned, steam-heated, credit-furnished suburban mansion ‘with a wolf in the basement’—the wolf of hunger. This banquet of epigrams.”—Spectator.

Procrustes, or the Future of English Education. By M. Alderton Pink.

“Undoubtedly he makes out a very good case.”—Daily Herald. “This interesting addition to the series.”—Times Educational Supplement. “Intends to be challenging and succeeds in being so. All fit readers will find it stimulating.”—Northern Echo.

The Future of Futurism. By John Rodker.

“Mr Rodker is up-to-the-minute, and he has accomplished a considerable feat in writing on such a vague subject, 92 extremely interesting pages.”—T. S. Eliot, in Nation. “There are a good many things in this book which are of interest.”—Times Literary Supplement.

Pomona, or the Future of English. By Basil de Sélincourt, author of “The English Secret”, etc.

“The future of English is discussed fully and with fascinating interest.”—Morning Post. “Full of wise thoughts and happy words.”—Times Literary Supplement. “His later pages must stir the blood of any man who loves his country and her poetry.”—J. C. Squire, in Observer. “His finely-conceived essay.”—Manchester Guardian.

Balbus, or the Future of Architecture. By Christian Barman.

“A really brilliant addition to this already distinguished series. The reading of Balbus will give much data for intelligent prophecy, and incidentally, an hour or so of excellent entertainment.”—Spectator. “Most readable and reasonable. We can recommend it warmly.”—New Statesman. “This intriguing little book.”—Connoisseur.

Apella, or the Future of the Jews. By A Quarterly Reviewer.

“Cogent, because of brevity and a magnificent prose style, this book wins our quiet praise. It is a fine pamphlet, adding to the value of the series, and should not be missed.”—Spectator. “A notable addition to this excellent series. His arguments are a provocation to fruitful thinking.”—Morning Post.

The Dance of Çiva, or Life’s Unity and Rhythm. By Collum.

“It has substance and thought in it. The author is very much alive and responsive to the movements of to-day.”—Spectator. “A very interesting account of the work of Sir Jagadis Bose.”—Oxford Magazine. “Has caught the spirit of the Eastern conception of world movements.”—Calcutta Statesman.

Lars Porsena, or the Future of Swearing and Improper Language. By Robert Graves. Third impression.

“Goes uncommonly well, and deserves to.”—Observer. “Not for squeamish readers.”—Spectator. “No more amusingly unexpected contribution has been made to this series. A deliciously ironical affair.”—Bystander. “His highly entertaining essay is as full as the current standard of printers and police will allow.”—New Statesman. “Humour and style are beyond criticism.”—Irish Statesman.

Socrates, or the Emancipation of Mankind. By H. F. Carlill.

“Devotes a specially lively section to the herd instinct.”—Times. “Clearly, and with a balance that is almost Aristotelian, he reveals what modern psychology is going to accomplish.”—New Statesman. “One of the most brilliant and important of a remarkable series.”—Westminster Gazette.

Delphos, or the Future of International Language. By E. Sylvia Pankhurst.

“Equal to anything yet produced in this brilliant series. Miss Pankhurst states very clearly what all thinking people must soon come to believe, that an international language would be one of the greatest assets of civilization.”—Spectator. “A most readable book, full of enthusiasm, an important contribution to this subject.”—International Language.

Gallio, or the Tyranny of Science. By J. W. N. Sullivan, author of “A History of Mathematics.”

“So packed with ideas that it is not possible to give any adequate résumé of its contents.”—Times Literary Supplement. “His remarkable monograph, his devastating summary of materialism, this pocket Novum Organum.”—Spectator. “Possesses a real distinction of thought and manner. It must be read.”—New Statesman.

Apollonius, or the Future of Psychical Research. By E. N. Bennett, author of “Problems of Village Life,” etc.

“A sane, temperate and suggestive survey of a field of inquiry which is slowly but surely pushing to the front.”—Times Literary Supplement. “His exposition of the case for psychic research is lucid and interesting.”—Scotsman. “Displays the right temper, admirably conceived, skilfully executed.”—Liverpool Post.

Aeolus, or the Future of the Flying Machine. By Oliver Stewart.

“Both his wit and his expertness save him from the nonsensical-fantastic. There is nothing vague or sloppy in these imaginative forecasts.”—Daily News. “He is to be congratulated. His book is small, but it is so delightfully funny that it is well worth the price, and there really are sensible ideas behind the jesting.”—Aeroplane.

Stentor, or the Press of To-Day and To-Morrow. By David Ockham.

“A valuable and exceedingly interesting commentary on a vital phase of modern development.”—Daily Herald. “Vigorous and well-written, eminently readable.”—Yorkshire Post. “He has said what one expects any sensible person to say about the ‘trustification’ of the Press.”—Spectator.

Rusticus, or the Future of the Countryside. By Martin S. Briggs, F.R.I.B.A.

“Few of the 50 volumes, provocative and brilliant as most of them have been, capture our imagination as does this one.”—Daily Telegraph. “The historical part is as brilliant a piece of packed writing as could be desired.”—Daily Herald. “Serves a national end. The book is in essence a pamphlet, though it has the form and charm of a book.”—Spectator.

Janus, or the Conquest of War. By William McDougall, M.B., F.R.S.

“Among all the booklets of this brilliant series, none, I think is so weighty and impressive as this. It contains thrice as much matter as the other volumes and is profoundly serious.”—Dean Inge, in Evening Standard. “A deeply interesting and fair-minded study of the causes of war and the possibilities of their prevention. Every word is sound.”—Spectator.

Vulcan, or the Future of Labour. By Cecil Chisholm.

“Of absorbing interest.”—Daily Herald. “No one, perhaps, has ever condensed so many hard facts into the appearance of agreeable fiction, nor held the balance so nicely between technicalities and flights of fancy, as the author of this excellent book in a brilliant series. Vulcan is a little book, but between its covers knowledge and vision are pressed down and brimming over.”—Spectator.

Hymen, or the Future of Marriage. By Norman Haire.

This candid and unprejudiced survey inquires why the majority of marriages to-day seem to be so unsatisfactory, and finds the answer in the sexual ethic of our civilization which is ill adapted to our social and economic needs. The problems of sex-morality, sex-education, prostitution, in-breeding, birth-control, trial-marriage, and polygamy are all touched upon.

The Next Chapter: the War against the Moon. By André Maurois, author of ‘Ariel’, etc.

This imaginary chapter of world-history (1951-64) from the pen of one of the most brilliant living French authors mixes satire and fancy in just proportions. It tells how the press of the world is controlled by five men, how world interest is focussed on an attack on the moon, how thus the threat of world-war is averted. But when the moon retaliates....

Galatea, or the Future of Darwinism. By W. Russell Brain.

This non-technical but closely-reasoned book is a challenge to the orthodox teaching on evolution known as Neo-Darwinism. The author claims that, although Neo-Darwinian theories can possibly account for the evolution of forms, they are quite inadequate to explain the evolution of functions.

Scheherazade, or the Future of the English Novel. By John Carruthers.

A survey of contemporary fiction in England and America lends to the conclusion that the literary and scientific influences of the last fifty years have combined to make the novel of to-day predominantly analytic. It has thus gained in psychological subtlety, but lost its form. How this may be regained is put forward in the conclusion.

Caledonia, or the Future of the Scots. By G. M. Thomson.

Exit the Scot! Under this heading the Scottish people are revealed as a leaderless mob in whom national pride has been strangled. They regard, unmoved, the spectacle of their monstrous slum-evil, the decay of their industries, the devastation of their countryside. This is the most compact and mordant indictment of Scottish policy that has yet been written.

Albyn, or Scotland and the Future. By C. M. Grieve, author of ‘Contemporary Scottish Studies’, etc.

A vigorous answer, explicit and implicit, to Caledonia, tracing the movements of a real Scottish revival, in music, art, literature, and politics, and coming to the conclusion that there is a chance even now for the regeneration of the Scottish people.

Lares et Penates, or the Future of the Home. By H. J. Birnstingl.

All the many forces at work to-day are influencing the planning, appearance, and equipment of the home. This is the main thesis of this stimulating volume, which considers also the labour-saving movement, the ‘ideal’ house, the influence of women, the servant problem, and the relegation of aesthetic considerations to the background. Disconcerting prognostications follow.

NEARLY READY

Archon, or the Future of Government. By Hamilton Fyfe.

A survey of the methods of government in the past leads the author to a consideration of conditions in the world of to-day. He then indicates the lines along which progress may develop.

Hermes, or the Future of Chemistry. By T. W. Jones, B.Sc., F.C.S.

Chemistry as the means of human emancipation is the subject of this book. To-day chemistry is one of the master factors of our existence; to-morrow it will dominate every phase of life, winning for man the goal of all his endeavour, economic freedom. It may also effect a startling change in man himself.

The Future of Physics. By L. L. Whyte.

The last few years have been a critical period in the development of physics. We stand on the eve of a new epoch. Physics, biology, and psychology are converging towards a scientific synthesis of unprecedented importance whose influence on thought and social custom will be so profound as to mark a stage in human evolution. This book interprets these events and should be read in connexion with Gallio, by J. W. N. Sullivan, in this series.

Ikonoclastes, or the Future of Shakespeare. By Hubert Griffiths.

Taking as text the recent productions of classical plays in modern dress, the author, a distinguished dramatic critic, suggests that this is the proper way of reviving Shakespeare and other great dramatists of the past, and that their successful revival in modern dress may perhaps be taken as an indication of their value.

IN PREPARATION

Bacchus, or the Future of Wine. By P. Morton Shand.

Mercurius, or the World on Wings. By C. Thompson Walker.

The Future of Sport. By G. S. Sandilands.

The Future of India. By T. Earle Welby.

The Future of Films. By Ernest Betts.

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE

Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within the text and consultation of external sources.

Some hyphens in words have been silently removed, some added, when a predominant preference was found in the original book.

Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text, and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained.

[Pg 23]: ‘more medieval in’ replaced by ‘more mediæval in’.
[Pg 53]: ‘is not suprising’ replaced by ‘is not surprising’.
Catalog:
[Pg C17]: ‘their montrous’ replaced by ‘their monstrous’.